Someone Like You
by Detective Olivia Stabler
Summary: Co-written w/ SVUjunkie2011: They say you don't know what you had until it's gone. Liv realizes the harsh truth to this statement as she faces the hardest part of her divorce from Elliot, the part where he moves on. Now as El is about to say "I do" to another woman, Liv is faced with the hardest choice she has ever made. Sometimes the BEST thing to do isn't the RIGHT thing at all.
1. 1 When Forever Ends

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a new story I am co-writing with SVUjunkie2011. It is an idea that we have been working on for a little while, via twitter and I am happy to say that there is already a sequel in the works. LOL. There are NO Kathy or Stabler kids in this story. Just EO & all of their sexiness. I am super excited about this one, so I hope you all enjoy it! The song in this chapter is "Always & Forever" by Luther Vandross. Thanks for checking it out! Please remember to review! _

_~ Detective Olivia Stabler ~ _

_Someone Like You_

_(Chapter One: When Forever Ends)_

Olivia stepped up to the bar and took a seat on the same old stool she used to sit t.

"Long time no see, Detective," the bartender said with a smile.

"Actually, it's Sergeant now."

"I heard. Congratulations. I should have gotten a card or something."

Olivia laughed.

"The usual?"

"Just a beer, thanks," she replied with a smile.

"Haven't seen you around in a while," he noted twisting the top of the bottle and handing it to her.

"Been busy with work. I don't get out much anymore."

"Well welcome back to your old stomping ground," he said with a friendly laugh. "This one's on the house."

"Thanks," Olivia replied.

"You look a little troubled. Something on your mind?"

"When isn't there something on my mind?"

He smiled up at her as he wiped down the bar and sat out a fresh bowl of pretzels.

"Work," she assured him. "It's always work."

"Well, you came to the right place to forget about things for a while. We're a little slow tonight. But the beer is cold and the food is hot. Can I get you a burger?"

Olivia smiled and folded her arms on the bar in front of her.

"Sure."

"Bacon, pepper jack and jalapenos?"

"You remember."

"Ah, you ate in here almost every night for years. How could I forget?"

Olivia watched as he scribbled her order on a note pad then walked across the room to hand it off to the cook. She turned around on her stool as her eyes scanned the nearly empty room. The juke box started to play an old familiar song and just like that, she was transported back to a time just a few short years earlier when things seemed to be going so right in her life. Now she couldn't help but wonder where they had gone wrong.

She took a deep breath and picked up her bottle from the bar. Taking a sip, Olivia made her way across the room. Standing beside the jukebox she closed her eyes and there he was. All six foot of him with haunting blue eyes and his strong arms wrapped tightly around her. His touch was soft and the magic of his words could make even the worst things seem not all that bad.

"I love you," his words echoed through her mind.

"Always?" she could hear herself ask.

"Always and forever," he replied falling into her trap.

Then he would lean forward and give her one of his slow smoldering kisses. The kind that made her toes curl and could only lead them once place. Elliot would scoop his wife up in his arms and carry her off to their bedroom where they would make love for hours on end.

But those were the old days, Olivia thought opening her eyes to find herself all alone once more. Before all of the pain and heartache….before the divorce and the promise that they would still be friends. She hadn't even heard from him in over a year.

And nothing could change the way things had happened between them. Not even the all too familiar words of _their _song. The words that once defined them as a couple, was now more like a punch to the stomach that left her wrenching in pain. Hearing those words now was almost more than she could take.

**Always and forever**  
**Each moment with you**  
**Is just like a dream to me**  
**That somehow came true, yeah**

**And I know tomorrow**  
**Will still be the same**  
**Cuz we got a life of love**  
**That won't ever change and**

**Everyday love me your own special way**  
**Melt all my heart away with a smile**  
**Take time to tell me you really care**  
**And we'll share tomorrow together**  
**Ooh baby, I'll always love you forever**

Olivia felt a knot in the pit of her stomach as she took another swig of her beer.

"Beer isn't cutting it tonight, Leo. I'm gonna need something a little stronger," she said approaching the bar once more.

"How about a vodka toni…."

"Scotch," she blurted out sliding her half empty beer bottle toward him.

"Alright. A lady who knows what she likes. I admire that."

"And what is up with this music? It's depressing."

"Naw, Luther's a classic."

"Do they even make jukeboxes anymore?"

"Not like that one," he replied sitting her drink and plate of food in front of her.

"Let me guess, it's a classic?"

"That's right. Nothing beats the sound of an old Wurlitzer. "

"You know the whole world has gone digital?"

"Look, I would still have the old box in here if you could get any of the newer music on vinyl. How's the burger?"

"Amazing, as always," she said with a smile pouring mustard on the side of her plate and dipping her fries into it.

"You know, you are the only one I have ever seen do that. Mustard is for dogs and burgers, ketchup is for fries."

"I'm a lady who knows what I want, remember?"

"Touché."

Olivia laughed as he walked away. Taking another bite of her food, she tried hard to ignore the words of the song that flooded the room around her.

**Ever, ever, ever**  
**There'll always be sunshine**  
**When I look at you**  
**It's something I can't explain**  
**Just the things that you do**  
**If you get lonely**  
**Call me and take**  
**A second to give to me**  
**That magic you make and**

**Everyday love me your own special way**  
**Melt all my heart away with a smile**  
**Take time to tell me you really care**  
**And we'll share tomorrow together**  
**Ooh baby, I'll always love you forever**

Three hours and several drinks later, Olivia sat alone at the bar. She stared down at a newspaper clipping as she curled the tip of it between her fingers.

"Last call, doll. You want me to call you a cab?" Leo asked from the other side of the bar.

Olivia pressed her lips together as she tucked the paper back into her pocket. She tipped her head to one side and stared into his dark brown eyes.

"Or….you could take me home," she said tapping the empty glass in front of her signaling for another.

He smiled and shook his head as he poured her one last drink.

"It's been a while," he said smiling up at her.

"Has it?"

"I count at least ten and a half years."

"Am I not pretty enough anymore?"

"Oh, you're beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. I just don't want to be tonight's good time and tomorrow's biggest regret."

She smiled and laughed a little.

"I have no regrets," she lied forcing a sexy grin. "Jesus, I am not asking you to marry me. I just want to have a good time."

"You are drunk, love."

"Even better," she said with a smile. "Lowers my inhibitions."

"Alright," he said after careful consideration. "Give me a few minutes to close up here."

They stumbled into her house and across the living room in the dark. In the bedroom, he picked her up and laid her back across the bed as he began to kiss all over her body. Olivia closed her eyes tight, trying hard to forget.

She pulled off his shirt and ripped his belt away from his jeans as her mouth pressed hungrily against his. Olivia watched as he pulled his wallet from his pocket and laid a condom on the nightstand beside the bed. Then she laughed and kissed him again as he laid down beside her.

They kissed and touched in the dark for a while. He pulled off her jeans, tossing them aside. Kissing slowly up her abdomen, he moved one hand up to remove her tee shirt. Olivia laughed playfully and blocked his hand. With a devilish grin she raised up off the bed and reached behind her undoing the clasp of her bra and pulling it out from one sleeve of her shirt.

She moaned softly and closed her eyes once more as he kissed her. Sliding one hand under the thin cotton material he gently squeezed and massaged her breast.

"You still have the most amazing body," he whispered smiling down at her as she moved her fingers over each muscle of his sculpted chest.

Olivia watched in the dark as he stood up beside the bed and took his jeans off. Standing there in his boxers, he winked at her. She smiled and raised one foot to trace her toes along the elastic band of his shorts.

He laughed a little and smoothed both hands around her foot, then moved it gently over the large bulge to show her just what was in store. Olivia smiled again, biting her lower lip.

"You are so damn sexy," he said crawling back across the bed and lowering himself over her body once more.

He kissed her with strong, deep kisses….the kind that leave you wanting more. He pushed her shirt up just enough to kiss and suck gently on the tender skin it covered. Olivia rolled her eyes back and gasped as he gently grazed a nipple with his teeth.

"I believe I have you right where I want you," he laughed playfully.

He used his hand to guide hers down the front of his boxers to caress his erection. Kissing her passionately, he began to move slowly against her palm.

"Are you ready for this?" he whispered.

Olivia exhaled and reached beside the bed.

"Saddle up cowboy," she said as she handed him the condom, "I don't ride bareback."

He smiled and shook his head as he took the foil package from her. She watched carefully as he stepped out of his underwear and unrolled the condom down the shaft of his erect penis.

"There we go," he said sliding back into the bed beside her.

He rubbed his hands slowly up her legs, then lowered his mouth to kiss her stomach once more. Olivia hesitated, pulling away from him as he attempted to remove her panties. His eyes raised to look at her as she covered her eyes with her hand.

"You shy? You didn't used to be."

"Can we just slow down a bit?" she breathed as he placed her hand against his cock once more.

"Yea," he whispered kissing her softly. "If memory suites me right, I know something else you like and all I need is my mouth."

Her heart pounded wildly as he kissed down her abdomen and around the inside of her thigh. Her body ached for a familiar touch, but his was not the one it yearned for.

"Stop," she gasped trying to catch her breath.

"Stop?" he asked looking up at her in confusion. "This isn't how you like it?"

"I…I can't," she breathed. "I'm sorry….I just….I thought I could, but I can't."

He rolled over on his side and watched as she climbed out of the bed and disappeared into the other room.

She was sitting at the island in the kitchen sipping vodka from a rock glass when he entered the room. Olivia watched as him pull his jeans back on as he walked toward her. She smoothed her hands over her face and poured him a drink as he took a seat across from her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered sliding the glass over to him.

"It is, what it is. Are you convinced?" he asked watching her reaction as she took another sip of alcohol.

"Convinced of what?"

"That you're over him," he said and her eyes widened. "That's what this is all about, right? You go to bed with me to prove to yourself that you are over Elliot."

She stared at him, but refused to answer.

He smirked and took another drink from his glass.

"What makes you think this has anything to do with my ex-husband?"

"You are not the only one who reads the paper."

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes fell to the counter in front of her.

"His wedding announcement must have been like a slap in the face."

"Why should I care? We are not together anymore."

"Right, why should you care?" he echoed her words.

"I don't."

"Then why are you crying?" he asked and suddenly she could feel the warmth of her tears as they streamed down her face.

Olivia wiped her face and dropped her glass in the sink.

"It has just been a very long day," she said turning as he wrapped his arms around her pulling her into his chest and just held her for a minute. "I'm sorry."

"I think maybe you should just get some rest."

He watched as she gave him a gently nod.

"Do you want me to come back in there with you?"

"I don't really think that we should…"

He smiled a kind smile.

"We don't have to have sex. I can just sleep there beside you, hold you if you'd like. Or I can go."

"It's late and you've been drinking you probably shouldn't drive."

"I can take the couch."

"I'll get you a blanket," she said softly.

She returned to the living room and watched as he made up his bed for the night.

"You gonna be alright?" he asked as he reached up and turned off the lamp beside the sofa.

"Yea, just feeling a little sorry for myself, I guess."

He laid down on the couch and raised up the blanket offering her a place next to him.

"I don't know that I should."

He smiled.

"I won't bite. Unless you're into that."

Olivia laughed.

"Come on. No strings attached. You're exhausted, physically and emotionally and you and I both know you'll sleep better here with me than in there all alone."

She lowered her eyes just a little embarrassed at how well her ex-boyfriend could read her.

"Suit yourself," he said shifting to lower the blanket.

"Okay."

He smiled as she climbed in and settled beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Are you still in love with him?"

He could feel her tears on his chest as she shook her head 'no.'

He exhaled slowly and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."


	2. 2 Return To Me

_Someone Like You_

_(Chapter Two: Return To Me)_

Olivia opened one eye and groaned. Holding the blanket against her body, she made her way across the living room to close the blinds in an attempt to block the morning out. She groaned again and dropped herself back onto the couch, covering her head with the blanket.

"Drink this. It will make you feel better," a man's voice said.

Olivia lowered the blanket to see Leo sitting on the edge of the coffee table across from her.

"I figured you had left."

He smiled.

"I thought I'd better stick around and make sure you got up for work first."

"Shit! Work!"

She groaned and laid back down.

"No, no, come on. It is a beautiful day. And I am sure you don't really want to get your ass ripped for calling in sick."

"I am sick."

"No, you are hung over. But this will help, I promise."

She exhaled and glared at him, but Leo didn't back down. Instead he raised one eyebrow and offered her the glass.

Olivia sat up and took it from him. She wrinkled her nose as she stared down at the concoction.

"What is in this?" she asked.

"If I told you, you wouldn't drink it. But it works."

"It stinks like something dead."

"Just drink it."

He watched as Olivia pinched her nose and took a drink from the glass. It was all she could do to keep from gagging as the thick, slimy goo hit the back of her throat.

"That is so gross," she choked out.

"A little more," he said pushing the glass up to her mouth once more. "There we go."

Olivia managed one more big gulp, but that is all she could handle.

"No, no more," she said shaking her head. "If any more of that goes down it is all going to come right back up. It is slimy."

"That would be the egg."

"There was a raw egg in that?"

"Three of them. It's good for you."

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"If you just relax a few minutes and let the brew work, you won't be. Lay back and close your eyes for a few more minutes. I'll go make some coffee."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied falling back against the sofa once more.

Ten minutes later, she joined him in the kitchen. Leo poured her a cup of strong black coffee as she took a seat.

"How do you feel?" he asked handing her the cup.

"Better. The nausea is gone and my head doesn't feel like it is going to split in half. I think I will still opt for a pair of dark shades, though."

"The light sensitivity is a little harder to get rid of," he confessed.

"What do you put in that stuff?"

He smiled as she took a sip of coffee.

"It's an old bartender's secret. When you've been in the business as long as I have, you learn a few tricks of the trade."

Olivia exhaled and lowered her eyes in shame.

"Leo, I really am sorry about last night."

"It's alright."

"It's not alright. And you didn't exactly get what you came here for."

"What I got wasn't bad," he said with a smile. "Spent the night curled up on the couch with you in my arms. I have definitely had worse one-nighters."

She smiled.

"What are you gonna do about Elliot?" he asked as she shifted uncomfortably.

"What can I do? He has moved on. I am just going to have to find a way to do the same."

"You can't stop caring about someone just because you want to. That isn't how it works. It can take a long time to get over someone you love."

"It has been a long time," Olivia replied. "How long do I have to wait for this feeling, this pain to go away?"

"I'm still waiting," he confessed as her eyes widened to focus on him.

"You're still hung up on someone?"

He smiled and cleared his throat.

"It's been almost eleven years," he said and she realized he was talking about her.

"Leo…." Olivia paused for a moment in disbelief. "But you broke up with me."

"Biggest mistake of my life," he said with a soft but pain filled smile. "Of course I never realized that I was in love with you when we were together. Not like this, anyway. Those feelings weren't obvious until after you had married Elliot. But you were happy and I was happy for you. I will have to confess though, that I kind of got my hopes up after your divorce. Couldn't help but wonder what would happen if we gave things another shot."

"You never said anything."

"I guess I was just waiting for the time to be right," he said with a smile as he stared into her eyes. "But I could tell…."

"You could tell….what?"

"He was your husband. That's not just like any other break up. You have a lot of history together, the two of you. I could tell when I looked at you, I could see it in your eyes that you still had feelings for Elliot. Last night when you asked me to come back here….I thought 'what the hell.' Then when things heated up and you hesitated, I knew that if we went through with it you were really going to regret it in the morning. I'd like to think we are still friends."

"We are," she said softly.

"I care about you, Olivia. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. And as much as I wanted something magical to happen between us last night, I know that the way you love me is not quite the same as the way that I love you."

"Leo, if I had thought in a million years….." she drew a staggered breath as tears of guilt filled her eyes. "I never would have lead you on like that."

"I know that. Some things just aren't meant to be, no matter how bad we may want them."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Like me with Elliot?"

"I don't know. I thought what you and I had was pretty great. We were good together. The sex was HOT," he said and she smiled.

"It was," she agreed.

"But looking back on things….you never once looked at me the way you still look at Elliot. That was different. We were good, but what you had with him was…."

"So much stronger than anything I have ever felt with anyone else," she confessed as a tear slid down her cheek. "But he has moved on. He is getting married again. He is happy. And I would never do anything to ruin that for him."

"She really isn't even that pretty," he said and she couldn't help but smile.

"She's young."

"Young isn't necessarily a good thing."

Olivia smiled again.

"You don't want some hot young thing lying beside you in bed at night?"

"I prefer a woman over a girl any day."

Olivia laughed.

"Younger women are too much drama. They might look good on the outside, but on the inside she's just an insecure kid still trying to figure out what she wants from the world. At that age most women….girls are more worried about lipstick and nail polish than the realities of life. She only thinks about herself and how everything affects her directly. But give her a few years, the chance to get seasoned by life….and that same woman could be amazing," he said with a wink. "I like a woman who knows who she is and what she wants from life."

"Careful what you say, buddy. I wasn't much older than that when you dated me."

"Yea, and neither one of us had any idea what we wanted or what we were doing."

"But we sure did a lot of it," she replied with a smile.

He grinned.

"And it was fantastic, every single time. But we didn't know the first thing about love or relationships. We were a couple of horny teenagers who made a pretty good go at it for a few months. I was in love with you, Olivia. I really was. I was just too young and stupid to realize it at the time. Sex aside, the connection we shared was remarkable. I have never experienced that with anyone else. I think that's what I am still hung up on."

"Thank you, for taking care of me and for being so understanding about all of this. A lot of guys would have just kept pushing until they got what they wanted last night."

"A lot of guys are assholes."

"This is true," she agreed.

"Olivia, I will never hurt you again. I know that you are in love with someone else and I am behind you one hundred percent when it comes to trying to get Elliot back. I do care very much about you and I want you to know that I will always be here for you. If you ever want to talk….or anything," he said with a mischievous grin. "Seriously, if you need a friend you always know where to find me."

"Thanks, Leo."

She exhaled and stretched for a moment as she scratched her head.

"I've gotta jump in the shower, I am gonna be so late. Help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"There was a jar of pickles I was eyeing," he joked.

"I have not grocery shopped in forever," she said half embarrassed. "I'm hardly home enough to cook food before it expires, so it is easier just to eat out. Lord knows how long that egg had been in there," she said suddenly feeling nauseated again.

"You had coffee, so I'm good," he said with a smile.

An hour later Olivia stepped off the elevator wearing dark sunglasses. She dropped her keys at her desk and made a beeline for the coffee pot, it was going to take a lot of caffeine to get her through this day. She exhaled and leaned back in her chair, picking up the file her desk as Fin walked in.

"You missed court this morning."

Olivia groaned.

"How bad is it?" she asked lowering the glasses and squinting to look at him.

"To be honest I think I'm the only one who noticed, they didn't get to you yet. What's up with the shades?"

"I have a migraine."

"No, you have a hang over," he replied taking the glasses and tossing her a bottle of aspirin from his desk. "These make it too obvious. You don't want to draw attention, Cragen's on a war path already because we haven't caught DelVey, yet."

"Do we even have any leads?" she asked taking a sip from her cup.

"That's why he's so pissed."

"We have searched high and low for any trace of this man. What are we missing?"

"You tell me. It was your bust. You caught him once, you can help us bring this guy in again."

"You mean, Elliot and I caught him last time. That was eight years ago. El got in his head, not me. I am completely lost on this one."

"Well, I suggest you figure something out," Cragen snarled from behind her. "The press has been up my ass about this one for days. The story will be on the ten o'clock news and I would really like to be able to give them a statement before they just go and make something up! Where are we on this?"

"I am combing through the files again to see if there is even a single detail I missed that might be able to help us. I have been rereading statements and all of the paperwork from the first time we collared him. Munch, Fin and I have spent the last four days re-interviewing every victim or anyone who had any kind of contact with DelVey before he went to prison."

"Nothing?"

"Not yet. But I will let you know the second we find anything that helps."

"That's not good enough, Olivia."

"I know," she said shifting her eyes uncomfortably from his fatherly glare of disapproval. "Alright, start from the beginning. Every moment of this man's life is in these boxes, there has to be something. He can't just leave prison and disappear for good. He is out there somewhere and we have to find him before he has the chance to hurt anyone else. Fin, help her go through this."

"I've already been over it a dozen times, Cap. There is nothing here."

"Still, a pair of fresh eyes can't hurt. John, you're coming with me. We're gonna take a little road trip."

"Sounds like fun," Munch said sarcastically standing from his desk.

"There is still one person we haven't spoken to."

Olivia raised her head as her eyes widened.

"Captain, she was just a little girl," Olivia said in hesitation.

"DelVey held Erin and Jessica Lark for ten days before we were able to take him into custody. That little girl is his only living victim. They have relocated and changed their names, but I know how to find her."

"Jessica Lark was a seven year old child who was raped and forced to watch as her attacker then raped and murdered her mother right in front of her. She was severely traumatized and she barely survived it all the first time, now you want to traumatize her again?"

"Let me handle this. You find something in those files."

Olivia blinked and turned her attention to Fin.

"I can't believe this," she said dropping back into her chair and smoothing her hands over her face.

Pressing her lips together, she picked up the newspaper from her desk.

"Dibs on the comics," Fin said pulling it from her hand.

He flipped through the pages of the paper to find a section cut out of one page.

"You already saw it," he said handing it back to her.

"It's yesterday's paper. But I appreciate you trying."

Fin turned his chair around backwards and leaned in to talk to her.

"You alright?"

"I'm okay."

Fin tipped her chin to look into her eyes.

"You're smart. You're tough. You are a lot of things, Olivia, but you are not okay. Look, Elliot was a huge part of your life. Seeing that announcement in the paper….it hurts, Liv, I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm fine, Fin. Just let it go, okay?"

"Alright. But I'm here, you know?"

"Yea, I know."

"Now let's see if we can find something that will lead us to this bastard. What do we know about this guy?"

"He takes mothers and daughters. He likes the girls pre-pubescent. He keeps them for ten days, rapes and tortures mom in front of the daughter."

"Then makes mom watch while he does the same to the kid."

"After he rapes the daughter, he has no use for them anymore. Kills them both, dumps and dumps the bodies within miles of their abduction site."

"So he abducts them on the second of the month, killing them on the twelfth."

"Leaving him plenty of time to dump the bodies and hunt for his next pair of victims. What is the significance of those dates?"

"We haven't been able to find any. What about when you and E…"Fin paused for a moment, then continued. "When you interviewed him before?"

"He never said anything. Nothing we could use, anyway."

"He's been out for four days now. And if he follows his old routine, we have six days to catch him before he nabs his next victims."

"That also means that he is probably already stalking them."

Just then Cragen stormed back into the bullpen.

"I take it things didn't go so well," Fin mumbled to Olivia.

"Did you find Jessica Lark?" Olivia asked nervously.

"Father refuses to let us speak to the girl," Munch said. "He ran us off before his daughter got home from school."

"I can't say that I blame him," Olivia said softly. "He is a father trying to protect his daughter from having to relive the most painful time of her young life."

"That girl knows more about DelVey than anyone else in the world. And he is obstructing justice," Cragen snapped. "Benson, my office now!"

Olivia watched as he moved into his office and slammed the door shut behind him.

"You think this is about your hang over?" Fin asked.

"Only one way to find out," she gulped picking up a file from her desk and making her way into his office.

Olivia closed the door behind her and hesitated for a moment before turning to face him.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"I'm sorry I snapped at you. This guy has really gotten under my skin. He has already murdered seven people and we have no clue where he is. To top it off, I just read about his _escape_ on the front page of a tabloid at a down town news stand."

"I don't know that I would call it an escape."

"We were supposed to have had until the ten o'clock news to get something together for a press release. Now these idiots made up their own facts to be the first to print a story loosely based on the truth."

"I guess you can never trust the press."

"Please tell me you and Fin found something."

"We are reworking this from the beginning. Trying to see if there is anything that we've missed. They have flyers out in all five boroughs, it is only a matter of time before someone sees him."

"He is probably laying low, maybe he's gone underground or something. Someone has to be hiding him."

"He can't hide much longer. In six days he will take his next victims. This man doesn't grab just anyone at random. He chooses these women and their daughters. He selects them. And on a specific schedule."

"Which means he needs time to watch them. He's gonna be out there."

"I think if we can figure out the significance of the abduction dates and the dates that he kills them, that could be our way into his head. If we can get into his head, we will catch him."

"And he has a type," Cragen noted flipping through the photos of the victims once more.

"Mothers thirty to thirty five years old and the daughters around seven or eight. He seems to prefer Caucasian families, brunette to dark blonde and the daughters look a lot like their mothers. That is all we've got so far."

"This helps. This is all helpful. Great work. But this it isn't the reason I called you in here. Have a seat."

"It isn't? What is it? Am I in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at all. How are you doing?"

Olivia drew a deep breath and smiled.

"It's about the newspaper announcement. I am fine."

"Good. Look, we need all of the help we can get on this case."

"We have half the state after this guy. It is only a matter of time before we find him."

"We are running out of time. This man is a serial rapist and murder. We need to get him and we need to get him now. Before he kidnaps any more victims."

"I completely agree."

"I'm happy to hear that because I have made a few calls and arranged for some extra help."

"That's great."

"I am bringing in the only other detective who knows as much about this case as you do."

"Elliot?" she asked as her jaw dropped and her stomach churned. "You are bringing Elliot back here?"

"I've thought a lot about it over the last four days. I know how hard this might be on you, but I feel that his expertise on DelVey could really only help us with this case. This is what is best for our case and our victims. We have to get DelVey before he can hurt anyone else, Olivia."

"Right," she said with a nod.

"I wanted to give you a little warning before he walked back in here. I know there is a lot of history between the two of you. Is this going to be a problem?"

"No. Elliot and I parted on good terms. I just haven't seen him in a while."

"So there is no bad blood there? No reason the two of you cannot work together in a professional setting."

She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

"Good."

"Are you alright?" Fin asked as Olivia returned to her desk.

She raised her eyes to look at him.

"I know, you're fine," he said as she stared blankly ahead. "Liv, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Cragen is bringing Elliot back," she said.

"He is?"

"He says we need his help on this case."

"How do you feel about that?"

"I don't really know," she whispered looking at him with soft eyes.


	3. 3 Crazy Heart

_Someone Like You_

_(Chapter Three: Crazy Heart)_

Elliot tightened his grip on the steering wheel and leaned his head back. He closed his eyes and got lost in the rumbling sound of the train and the screeching sounds of steel on steel. Suddenly, he was in another place and time.

**_"Where the hell are we?" Olivia asked climbing from the passenger side of his old car._**

**_ "Come on," Elliot insisted._**

**_ "You said there was something you wanted to show me."_**

**_ "There is."_**

**_ "Way out here? We are miles from civilization. Elliot, there is nothing out here but mosquitos," she said swatting at a bug as it buzzed past her face._**

**_ He stared at her a moment as a summer breeze blew through her hair. Olivia tipped her head to study the mischievous look in his eye._**

**_ "I'll race you," he said, then like a bullet he was off._**

**_ "Race me where?" she asked watching as he turned around and smiled at her again. _**

**_ "What? You only like it when you're the one being chased?"_**

**_ "I don't even know where we are going."_**

**_ "You don't always have to know every single thing in life, Liv. Sometimes mystery can be exciting."_**

**_ "Elliot, it is ninety five degrees out here and I am sweating like crazy. There are bugs, the size of….they are huge. I am hot, I'm itchy, I am grouchy and I just want to go home!"_**

**_ "Gotta catch me first," he taunted dangling the car keys for her to see, then tucking them into the pocket of his old blue jeans._**

**_ "You are dead, Stabler!" she called out chasing after him as he took off running once more._**

**_ They ran and ran. Across a field and out the other side. _**

**_ Olivia looked up to see him standing there in the moonlight._**

**_ "What is it?" she asked._**

**_ "Listen," he said raising one hand as she approached. "Train is coming."_**

**_ "Maybe we should get out of here."_**

**_ "Where's your sense of adventure?"_**

**_ "I think I left it in the car," she said with a sarcastic smile._**

**_ Elliot laughed and shook his head. He walked slowly over to her and smiled as he stared deep into her eyes._**

**_ "I love you."_**

**_ "I love you, too. But I still think you are crazy," she said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her tenderly._**

**_ They stood there beside the tracks kissing and touching and holding each other tight as the train rounded the curve and began to move past them. _**

**_ The steel creaked and popped under the weight of the old box cars and a light wind began to blow._**

**_ "Baby, you haven't seen crazy yet," Elliot replied pulling back from her and turning to run along the tracks beside the train._**

**_ "Where are you going?" she asked running to catch up to him._**

**_ "Where ever the tracks take me," he said and she watched as he jumped grabbing the rail and pulling himself up into an open car. _**

**_ Olivia could not believe what was happening right in front of her eyes. She stopped for a moment, watching as he traveled further down the tracks._**

**_ "This isn't funny, Elliot. Someone could get hurt. And I am pretty sure this is like nine kinds of illegal."_**

**_ "Come on," he said holding out his hand. "It isn't moving that fast."_**

**_ She hesitated for a moment. She had lost track of where they were about half way across the field, but she was pretty sure they were at least a mile or so from where he had parked the car. And this train was going to the wrong way._**

**_ "Come on," he repeated._**

**_ "What the hell," she said with her heart beating wildly as she took off running beside the line of box cars until she'd caught up to him._**

**_ Elliot held on to the car with one hand and reached out for her with the other. He looked her in the eyes and began to nod. As he did, Olivia placed her hand in his and jumped as he pulled her into the car beside him._**

**_ They both tumbled across the floor inside the car and Olivia bust out laughing as they did. She laid on her back staring up at the dark container they were in. _**

**_ "How are we going to get down?" she asked raising up on her elbows to look at him._**

**_ "You worry too much," Elliot replied leaning in to kiss her lips. "Sometimes you just have to live for the moment."_**

**_ Elliot stood up and helped her to her feet. _**

**_ "Check it out," he said as they made their way to the open door to look out at the world around them._**

**_ "The world looks completely different from here," he said with a smile. _**

**_ "I'll bet you've never had a date like this before," he said with a wink and she smiled._**

**_ "This is what you wanted to show me?"_**

**_ Elliot smiled and stepped forward to kiss her tenderly._**

**_ "I love you, Olivia Benson."_**

**_ She smiled as he stared at the shadows in her eyes._**

**_ "I love you, too, Elliot Stabler."_**

**_ Olivia's eyes widened as he held her hand in his and dropped to one knee. There in their box car, by the light of the full moon he did something else she had never expected him to do._**

**_ "Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"_**

**_ Olivia couldn't speak and she could barely breathe. Elliot laughed and she began to nod and cry at the same time._**

**_ "Is that a yes?"_**

**_ "It's a yes," she whispered._**

**_ He stood and she threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. This had been the craziest, but best night of her life and it wasn't over yet. _**

**_ He locked his fingers in hers and they stood on the edge of the car as it began to cross a bridge. Olivia stared down at the reflection of the full moon on the river below._**

**_ "Do you trust me?" he asked tipping his head to stare into her eyes._**

**_ "You're the only one I trust," she replied as her heart began to race once more._**

**_ "On the count of three." _**

**_ Olivia drew a deep breath as she tightened her grip on his hand. _**

**_ "One," he said and her heart felt as if it would explode._**

**_ "Two," she responded turning her head to look at him once more._**

**_ "Three," Elliot called out and they jumped._**

**_ It was only about fifteen feet down to the water below. Olivia wasn't sure if it was the heat of the night or the excitement of the moment, but the water felt icy cold as they sunk into the darkness or the river. _**

**_ "Whoo," Elliot called out as he broke the surface of the water._**

**_ He looked around him, but Olivia was nowhere to be found._**

**_ "Liv?" he called out feeling the heavy presence of guilt and fear as he searched frantically for her._**

**_ He dove back under the water, several times looking for her. But the water was dark and murky and he could not see a damn thing. About the tenth time he resurfaced he could hear her laughing behind him._**

**_ "That isn't funny," he called out spinning around to dunk her under the water._**

**_ Olivia popped back up and they both began to laugh. _**

**_ "Neither is jumping onto a speeding train."_**

**_ "Twelve miles an hour is hardly speeding," he said as he kissed her lips. "But point taken."_**

**_ They splashed and played in the water for a bit before swimming to the bank._**

**_ "So," she said softly, "any idea where we are?"_**

**_ Elliot smiled and helped her from the water. They walked up the bank a little way. There through the trees that lined the riverbank sat Elliot's car._**

**_ Olivia smiled and laughed._**

**_ "You planned this whole night?"_**

**_ "I might have," he replied pulling a towel from the trunk and wrapping it around her."_**

**_ "You knew the train schedule."_**

**_ "I did."_**

**_ "But how did you know if would be moving slow enough we could jump on it?"_**

**_ He smiled._**

**_ "I can't give away all of my secrets," he said leaning in to kiss her._**

**_ Their kisses were slow and passionate. Elliot pulled a blanket from the trunk as well and tossed it over the back seat as they climbed into the car. They kissed and touched._**

**_ "I almost forgot," he said pulling himself up from her and reaching into the glove box._**

**_ He opened his palm to reveal a small black velvet ring box._**

**_ Olivia smiled and her eyes lit up as she leaned in closer. Opening the little box, she discovered a beautiful two and a half karat diamond ring._**

**_ "Elliot," she gasped._**

**_ "Do you like it?"_**

**_ "I love it."_**

**_ "I was afraid to take it on the train. I was pretty sure if I didn't lose it there, we'd lose it in the water. I wanted tonight to be special. I have been carrying this ring around for months now trying to think of just the right way to propose. I wanted something different. Something that was just ours, not like anything anyone else has done. Something unique."_**

**_ "It was definitely unique," she said with a smile. "I wasn't so sure I wasn't gonna have a heart attack. I love you Elliot and I would follow you anywhere. But that was pretty dangerous. Exciting and very memorable, but dangerous."_**

**_ "Liv, I knew the train would be moving slow because I arranged for it to be moving slow. I also knew you'd get all turned around running and not realize that we parked the car right next to the river."_**

**_ "I did." _**

**_ "We should get you out of those wet clothes," Elliot said with a devious grin as he traced his thumb over her lips._**

**_ "I think that's a great idea," she whispered._**

**_ He watched as she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it into the front of the car. Elliot kissed her and smoothed his hands over her body. He unbuttoned her wet jeans and gently tugged them down and she raised up. They fumbled around together in the back seat for a few more minutes until he was naked as well._**

**_ "Much better," Olivia said placing her hands on his face and guiding his mouth to hers._**

**_ In seconds the windows were all fogged up and they were all wrapped up in each other. That could have been why they didn't notice the headlights of the police car as it pulled up in front of them. _**

**_ Olivia sighed as he peppered her skin with little baby kisses. Then suddenly there was a tap on the window._**

**_ "Shit," she gasped now noticing the flashing red and blue lights as they reflected off the ceiling of the car._**

**_ "I'll take care of it," he assured her wrapping the blanket around her body as he rolled down the window. "How can I help you, officer?" Elliot asked trying hard to keep a straight face._**

**_ "I'm gonna need you both to step out of the vehicle," the woman said shining the flashlight in on them._**

**_ "Um, can you give us just a moment?"_**

**_ "I need you to step out of the car now, sir," she clarified._**

**_ "Elliot, if you planned this, I am going to kill you." _**

**_ "This is real, Liv. I had nothing to do with this part." _**

**_ The policewoman opened the car door and Olivia climbed out holding the blanket tight around her body. Elliot looked around for a moment, but could not seem to find his boxers. He climbed slowly from the backseat, covering himself the best he could with his hands._**

**_ "What seems to be the problem, officer?" Olivia asked._**

**_ "For one, you are trespassing," she said shining her flashlight on the private property sign nailed to a nearby tree._**

**_ "We're sorry," Elliot said looking really embarrassed. "I didn't notice that."_**

**_ "I'm gonna need to see some identification and registration on the car."_**

**_ "Sure," Elliot agreed. "It's in the glove box in the front. I can get it for you."_**

**_ He watched as the girl began to nod._**

**_ Olivia couldn't help but smile as he stumbled around the car trying to cover himself. Elliot opened the glove box and pulled out the registration, handing it to her over the hood of the car. _**

**_ "My wallet is in my jeans. Is it alright if I put them on?"_**

**_ "Okay, but no funny business."_**

**_ "Trust me ma'am, right now funny business is the furthest thing from my mind."_**

**_ "Do you have ID?" she asked looking at Olivia._**

**_ "My purse is in the floorboard."_**

**_ Liv watched as the woman picked it up from the pile of clothing and handed it to her._**

**_ "Mr. Jackson has had a lot of trouble with people coming out here and messing with his crops and cattle. That wouldn't be the two of you would it?"_**

**_ "No, ma'am," Olivia replied. "We were um…"_**

**_ "I can see what you were doing."_**

**_ "I brought her out here to swim," Elliot said. "And listen to the train."_**

**_ The woman stared at them not sure if she was buying his story._**

**_ "He proposed," Olivia added holding up her hand to display the ring. "We're getting married."_**

**_ "Well, congratulations. This must be your lucky night," she said tossing Elliot's wallet back to him. "I'll be coming back around this way in about an hour and I don't expect to see this car. Do I make myself clear?"_**

**_ "Yes," Olivia said with a nod._**

**_ "And the next time you decide to go swimming in the dark, make sure you are not on private property when you do it."_**

**_ "We will, ma'am. Thank you," Elliot replied._**

**_ They stood there shivering as the officer climbed back into her car and disappeared. _**

**_ "That was close," Olivia said as Elliot kissed her. "We'd better get going."_**

**_ "Get going? We have a whole hour before she comes back," he said with a laugh as he held the door open and they climbed back into the car._**

**_ That night Elliot held Olivia tight in his arms._**

**_ "I can't believe we got engaged," she said smiling uncontrollably as she raised her hand to inspect the ring once more._**

**_ "I can't believe we almost got arrested for cow tipping," he added as he kissed the side of her head._**

**_ Olivia laughed._**

**_ "It will be an interesting story to tell our kids someday," Elliot said. _**

**_ She shifted under the sheet and raised up to look at him._**

**_ "You want to have kids with me?" she asked with a soft smile._**

**_ "Of course I do. Assuming you want to have kids with me."_**

**_ Olivia rolled her eyes to the side to think about it for a moment._**

**_ "We never really discussed children," she realized._**

**_ "You don't want them?"_**

**_ "Yea, I think I do." He watched as a smile slowly spread across her face. "I definitely want kids. At least a couple of them. And I want them with you."_**

**_ "That's good," he exhaled in relief. "Cause I think I just might have a little problem if my wife wants to have kids with another man."_**

**_ Olivia laughed._**

**_ "Never," she said pressing her sweet lips to his. "You are the only man for me."_**

**_ Staring out the window, he could almost hear her words once more._**

"Earth to Elliot!" she said as he rolled his head around to look at her. "I said I want to try to get some of the stuff done for the wedding while we are here….take advantage of our trip to the city."

"Of course," he said clearing his throat and trying hard to get back to the moment she'd pulled him out of.

"This damn train is taking forever!"

"Ever think of just jumping on one and riding the rails wherever it may take you?"

"No. Like, what if there are hobos? They could kill you. Do you have any idea how many diseases those people carry? I think I'll stick to flying. Leave the trains for cargo and circus animals."

"I could be fun, though. Exciting."

"You cannot be serious! Where do you even come up with this stuff?"

Elliot smiled and shook his head.

"It was a hypothetical, Jen."

"Good. Because that sounds creepy."

"So hypothetically?" he asked.

"Yea, sure. Whatever."

"Whatever," Elliot mumbled to himself as he crossed the rail road tracks and headed toward the city.


End file.
